Breezy Day for a Scaled Dragon
Juni held the round glass fishbowl with both hands, taking slow, deliberate steps. Inside, Fish swam in quick, happy circles around his tiny green castle. Under her arm, Juni clutched three drawings of her favorite scaled dragon.
The neighborhood path was quiet, save for the rustle of dry leaves. Juni stopped to show Fish the path ahead. 'We are going to have the finest feast today,' she whispered, her voice full of secret excitement.
A sudden, playful gust of wind swooped down from the treetops. It snatched the three drawings right from Juni's grip. The papers swirled upward like giant autumn leaves, dancing just out of her reach in the bright air.
Juni squeezed the fishbowl tight to keep Fish safe as she watched her purple and gold dragons scatter. One drawing sailed high over a fence, while another drifted toward a nearby house with a low wooden porch.
On that very porch, Dog was enjoying a very deep, very comfortable nap. His heavy paws were tucked in, and his tail gave a tiny twitch as he dreamed of chasing squirrels in the warm sunshine.
The first drawing fluttered down, landing softly on the wooden floorboards right next to Dog. He did not stir. Then, the second drawing drifted down, landing right on top of his furry back like a paper blanket.
Juni hurried to the edge of the porch, holding Fish steady. She saw the third drawing catch on a low rosebush nearby. 'Oh no,' she whispered, watching Dog roll over, nearly creasing the dragon under his heavy side.
Juni took a deep breath. She decided to be brave and loud. 'Dog, wake up!' she called out. Dog's ears perked up instantly. He opened one sleepy eye, then the other, letting out a giant, rumbling yawn.
Dog shook himself, and the paper on his back slid off onto the porch. He looked down at the purple and gold creature, then up at Juni. With a gentle nudge of his wet nose, he pushed the drawing toward her.
Juni gathered the two drawings from the porch, holding them safely against her side. But the third drawing was still stuck in the rosebush, its paper corners fluttering. Dog trotted over, sniffing the thorny branches carefully.
With a delicate wiggle of his nose, Dog gently pinched the edge of the paper between his teeth. He pulled it free from the rosebush without making a single tear, turning back to Juni with a proud wag of his tail.
Juni smiled, her worries vanishing. 'Thank you, Dog,' she said. 'Would you like to come to our picnic?' Dog gave a happy bark, keeping the drawing held safely in his mouth as they walked together toward the sunny park.
They reached the sunny park, where a bright red-and-white checkered blanket was spread out under the shade of a giant willow tree. Juni carefully placed the fishbowl right in the middle of the blanket so Fish could see.
Dog trotted onto the blanket and gently dropped the final drawing next to the other two. Juni smoothed out the paper corners, lining up her three purple and gold dragons side by side in the warm afternoon light.
Juni sat down cross-legged, feeling completely happy. She shared her picnic biscuits with Dog, who took them with a gentle tap of his tongue. Fish blew a stream of perfect little bubbles, celebrating their safe return.
With her friends beside her, Juni pointed to the drawings. 'This dragon is a fast flyer,' she told Dog, who let out a contented sigh and rested his chin right on her knee, ready for the next grand story.
